NHL insider Chris Johnston tweeted earlier today that he feels as though 26-year-old Maple Leafs winger Ondrej Kase could build a case for a $3 Million AAV award in arbitration. Of course, in order to end up in arbitration the Leafs would first have to extend Kase a qualifying offer. If they do not, Kase would become an unrestricted free agent like he did last year when he originally signed in Toronto.
Johnston also mentioned the Leafs have not decided if they will be extending Kase that aforementioned qualifying offer. The deadline for them to do so is this Monday (July 11th). The risk is that if the buds extend a QO, Kase could simply elect to file for arbitration in an attempt to boost his earnings. If the arbitrator sides with Kase, the Leafs would be on the hook to pay him whatever he asked, unless that amount exceeds $4.5M, which would allow the Leafs to walk away. As Chris Johnston stated, it is certainly risky territory for Kyle Dubas and company.
Last off-season, Kase walked away from the Boston Bruins after they declined to extend him a qualifying offer. He signed in Toronto on a one year "prove it" deal, worth $1.25 Million. While anyone who has watched Kase for the last season can certainly see the skill level that he brings, he has still not proven he can stay healthy and be relied upon to be in the lineup consistently. It's tough to justify offering a guy $3 Million who you expect to miss so much time.
After being drafted in the seventh round by the Ducks in 2014, Kase's career started off very promising. In the 2017-18 season he scored a career high 20 goals at just 22-years-old. But due to a series of injuries, Kase has since missed a significant amount of time on multiple occasions. In fact, last season when he played fifty games with the Leafs was the most games Kase has played in a season since 2018.
While Kase would be great to keep around for another season at a similar cap hit, his inability to stay healthy hurts his value. If Kase wants a $3 Million deal, it is likely the Leafs let him pursue that sort of contract elsewhere.
